Philosophically and practically, a medical device, such as that embodying Applicant's invention, to be truly useful in modern contemporary practice must not only be considered safe and efficient, but must also be cost effective. There are many facets of related devices which affect cost effectivity. For examples, many medical devices in common use have wide distribution resulting in low-cost, high volume manufacturing and large numbers of clinicians trained for their use, leading to a high standard of safety and efficacy.
A wide variety of IV solutions are delivered from IV containers (e.g. bags and bottles). Commonly, for such use, a conventional IV set is provided with a proximally disposed spike for accessing a medical solution within an IV container. It is common also that, when a container is emptied, the spike may be removed from the last used container and used to spike a subsequent container.
However, when hazardous drugs are being so dispensed, a closed connection system should be employed to assure complete containment of all hazardous drug especially when a disconnection is effected. If there is no such connection system, an entire IV set would have to be thrown away when an IV container is emptied. If the delivery path is directly through an inserted patient catheter, cost of disposal of the set may be compounded by inconvenience and perhaps an unwarranted painful experience to a patient as the used IV set and catheter are replaced.
Also, as a safety precaution, IV containers containing hazardous drugs are commonly delivered pre-spiked to a site of use. Also commonly, the spiked access pathways are closed by a needle-less syringe connector. While it is known in the IV dispensing art to use a needle-less syringe connector and an associated male luer drip-less connector to provide a closed, but separable connection for a specific IV delivery system as exemplified in FIG. 1C of U.S. Pat. No. 7,815,614 B2 issued Oct. 19, 2010 to Thomas F. Fangrow, Jr., et al. (Fangrow), it is considered costly and, therefore, inappropriate to saddle all IV container deliveries with the cost of IV sets having specialized connectors when such is not required for a large portion of drug dispensing.
It is for this reason that it is appropriate to interpose a detachable male luer drip-less connector between a spike of an associated conventional IV set and a needle-less syringe connector. Such an interposition provides a closed connection for the IV set spike and a drip-less male luer connector which is readily affixed and detached with safety to the needle-less syringe to provide for exchanging a spent IV container for one, subsequently attached thereto while maintaining a closed system. It is for such a critical and important purpose this instant invention is provided. While it is an object of Fangrow to provide a closed disconnection, the device disclosed in Fangrow cannot provide service for an IV set having a proximal spike.